A first-of-its-kind report out this week confirms what advocates have long suspected: Kids in Indiana's foster care system struggle to keep pace in school with their peers. They have lower levels of academic achievement and graduate in far fewer numbers.

Advocates and lawmakers during a news conference Tuesday called the report that looks at the 2017-18 school year "depressing," "troubling" and "dismal."

The report, though, is also the first step toward improving outcomes for these kids, said Brent Kent, president and CEO of Indiana Connected By 25. His organization works with young adults as they're aging out of the foster care system to get them housing, work and education.

"One of the biggest hurdles to their successful transition to adulthood is the lack of a quality K-12 education," Kent said.

According to the Department of Child Services, which administers the foster system, as of March 15 there were 14,516 kids in out-of-home placements, what most people would consider the foster care system. While on average, one-third or so of them are younger than 5 years old, the majority are school-age.

The report, to be accepted by the State Board of Education at their meeting Wednesday, only includes outcomes for 9,000 of them. There is some question about the number of students in the system, and the state's ability to track their educational outcomes.

While the Department of Child Services keeps information on kids in foster care, the Department of Education tracks academic outcomes. The systems are not linked, so collecting academic information for foster children requires data-sharing between the two agencies. There are hopes that the process will improve in subsequent years.

For those kids whose records the state could match, the report finds that children in foster care are graduating at much lower rates than Hoosier high school students as a whole — just 64 percent of kids in foster care graduated last year, compared to a state average of 88 percent.

Those graduates in foster care are more likely to have graduation requirements waived and earn a lower-level diploma than their peers.

They're also more likely to be held back in school, suspended or expelled from school and less likely to pass state tests in English and math.

This tracks with statistics about adult outcomes for kids who grow up in foster care, Kent said. They're more likely to end up homeless and without work than their peers.

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Joshua Christian spent 18 years in Indiana's foster care system. He's now a junior at Marian University and advocate for youth in foster care. He's pictured at the Indiana Statehouse on April 9, 2019.(Photo: Arika Herron/IndyStar)

The Department of Education said Tuesday the report underscores the importance of looking at particular subgroups of children — as the state already does by characteristics like race and socioeconomic status — in order to better meet their needs.

"We create a a better understanding of who our most vulnerable students are," said Adam Baker, spokesman for the department. "By knowing this, we can work to develop a comprehensive remediation plan, ensuring our students succeed and do so with important partners, such as DCS and educators within the classroom."

School can be particularly challenging for kids in the foster care system because of how often they move between placements. Joshua Christian spent 18 years in foster care and was placed in 18 different homes during that time. His longest placement lasted four years, while some were only a few months.

In high school, Christian moved between schools four times — sometimes in the middle of the semester.

Those moves can create gaps in learning, he said, especially if schools operate on different schedules or are teaching the curriculum in a different order.

"In foster care, you don't really get to plan when you move," he said. "It just happens."

Christian is now a 21-year-old junior studying psychology at Marian University. He overcame the obstacles posed by the foster care system and an inconsistent education.

That makes him rare. On average, Kent said, only 3 percent of foster children get a college degree.

Armed with this information, advocates like Christian and Kent are pushing for the state to do more. They'd like to see students and schools get more support — and for tax credits to go to nonprofits that work with this population and their families.

While the legislative session is set to wrap up in the next several weeks, lawmakers said it may not be too late to act on some of the information.

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Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis, said tax credits could still be added to the final draft of the budget. He is also considering a resolution that would have the topic added to a summer study committee.

"There's no question we need to provide more stability to these most vulnerable youth," Behning said.

The report is the result of a law passed last year requiring the Department of Education to annually collect and report information on the academic outcomes of homeless youth and children in foster care. A similar report on academic outcomes for homeless youth is also being accepted by the state board Wednesday. The board is not expected to talk about either.

A remediation plan, also required by last year's law, is expected to be presented to the state board in June.

Call IndyStar education reporter Arika Herron at 317-201-5620 or email her at Arika.Herron@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter: @ArikaHerron.